This invention relates to pencil sharpeners of the kind in which a cutter is rotated about an axis and the axis is moved planetarily about the pencil. Such sharpeners are usually desk or wall mounted, as distinct from being hand held in use. Several different versions of such sharpeners are known, including ones in which a chuck is provided to grip the pencil and spring means are provided to feed the pencil inwardly of the sharpener as sharpening proceeds, as the alternative to holding the pencil with one hand whilst the rotation is effected by a crank handle with the other hand. In another version, a selector plate is provided having a row of holes of different sizes, and the pencil is inserted through the hole of the appropriate size in order to support and centralise the pencil with respect to the cutter. It is also known to provide either a single cutter or two or more cutters pitched apart about the axis of the pencil or its support.
Hitherto, the cutter, pencil support and rotating mechanism have been made as a single unit which is usually inserted axially into a unitary body which forms both a frame to support the rotating parts and journal them, and also forms an enclosure to protect the user from the cutters and also protect the cutters from damage. This body has been made as a one-piece die casting, thus giving a satisfactory aesthetic appearance and the necessary rigidity but particularly because of the many alternative versions which are required, the casting has been particularly complex and has hence required a complex mould. Such a mould is expensive and can only be justified if particularly high volumes of production can be ensured.
As an alternative, the body is often made from a number of separate metal pressings which are assembled together, and this enables simpler parts to be used and in some cases a selection will be made from different components according to the particular version which is to be produced. This certainly reduces tool cost, but increases the actual cost of manufacture because of the number of assembly steps involved in making the body.